The Ordinary One
by eeveekitty85
Summary: When Stella broke into the TARDIS, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Then again, neither did the Doctor and Rose. Slightly humourous, 9Rose and a good old fashioned roller blade chase. An OC that isn't a Mary Sue. Shocking. R&R.
1. The Break In

**The Ordinary One**

**Notes: **What's this! Eevee's branching out! Yes, my dear companions, the Doctor has invaded my obsessive little bones and I feel the need to write about it! So I want you all to give me a nice hearty welcome by reviewing lots! This is an original character fic, because they seem to be lacking in this section. Of course, in the Pokemon section there are far too many…but I think a happy balance could please everyone! Be gentle with me. I promise this isn't a Mary-Sue. And if Sparx and Jillybean read this, which I hope they do...this is dedicated to NEITHER of you! Mwah ha ha ha! This is instead dedicated to my little friends in the mystical triangle, Tear and Banshee. I love ya!

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Stella Brinley had always been just like every other teenager. She had spots, mousy hair, liked chatting online and hanging out with her friends. She was a strong swimmer, and thought of herself as athletic…OK, not Superwoman, but she liked to think she could hold her own in sporting events. She liked rollerblading and chocolate and pigging out on chips. She didn't think about the world's problems or 'ultimate questions' because at the end of the day, what did it matter? Stella was perfectly happy being ordinary.

Then something in her ordinary life went extraordinarily wrong.

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It was early evening and just beginning to get dark. Stella tugged on her blades, said goodbye to her friends at swim club, and started blading slowly home. She felt faintly proud of herself for winning races against her team mates as she swerved in and out of the lampposts that were starting to flicker into life. Her hair was wet and heavy against the fleece she'd borrowed from her mum; even her feet felt damp inside her rollerblades.

Stella shivered. The evening wasn't particularly cold, but a sudden breeze had set her teeth chattering. She heard the distant sound of what she thought was a car engine, and skated back onto the pavement, moving more quickly now to warm herself up. Her swimming kit and trainers thumped lightly against her back.

Then something thumped rather hard against her back, sending her almost off-balance. She wheeled round angrily and saw…

…pale blue skin…

…slightly pointed ears…

…a single, orange eye…

Without even glancing at her, it ran past. Stella stood very still for a moment, her mind subconsciously searching for a rational explanation.

She'd barely begun skating again when two-she was relieved to see-humans also thumped into her. This time Stella did over-balance, falling smack onto the concrete, landing on her back. One, she noticed, didn't even bother looking at her, but kept running. The other, a blonde girl, helped her up hurriedly, muttered an apology, then tore after her friend.

Stella looked around to see where they had all come from, and saw a large blue police box that definitely hadn't been there before.

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The Doctor breathed hard, his jacket flapping irritatingly behind him as they gained on the Portian. By his side, Rose Tyler flashed him a quick smile as they ran past quiet houses…before tripping over a jutting piece of concrete and falling flat on her face. The Doctor sighed in annoyance, they were so close--! But then bent down and pulled her to her feet.

Rose held one hand to her head as she straightened up, holding tightly to the Doctor's hand for support.

"Trust your irresponsible councils not to do anything about the state of the pavements on this planet. It's ridiculous," said the Doctor, grinning. Rose just winced in reply. "Hey, you're bleeding!" A cut slanted above one plucked to perfection eyebrow. Rose took her fingers away and held them away from her; they were covered in blood.

"It's not too deep, but there's dirt and all kinds of germs in that. The Portian can wait. Let's get you cleaned up," said the Doctor, trying to steer her back towards the TARDIS.

"No, I'm fine, honestly…we can keep going," protested Rose as blood dripped down her forehead. The Doctor handed her a handkerchief. "It's…scalp wounds always bleed a lot…but it looks worse than it is!"

"Do as you're told for once Rose," said the Doctor. "We can catch him another time." Rose looked furious, but kept her mouth closed. She looked at him, and he grinned. She tutted once, then allowed him to take her back towards his time machine.

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Stella gaped at the police box, then slowly walked all the way round it. When she found all four sides to be present, she reached out her hand and touched the rough and decidedly old wood of the door. She half expected her hand to go right through it, but it was solid. And it wasn't on wheels. So how had it got here?

She re-read the sign.

POLICE TELEPHONE

FREE

FOR USE OF

PUBLIC

ADVICE & ASSISTANCE

OBTAINABLE IMMEDIATELY

OFFICER & CARS

RESPOND TO ALL CALLS

PULL TO OPEN

Stella tried the door, pulling hard, but it wouldn't budge.

"Why is a police phone box locked?" she wondered aloud. She looked around her, checking that the couple were no where in sight. Then she quickly pulled off her blades and stuffed them in her bag, replacing them with some worn trainers. She shifted her weight and position until she faced the box side ways on, with her right leg forwards and her back leg bent slightly in the fighting position she'd seen so often on _Buffy the Vampire Slayer. _She curled her hands into fists and held them at shoulder level, then brought her right knee into her chest, tensed for a moment, then kicked the door with all her strength.

The door didn't move.

Stella tried again.

The third time, she heard something snap inside the door, and it swung open slightly.

Stella turned to face the now open door, looked around again, then stepped inside.

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"This is just so typical of you." They were chatting now, Rose's wound forgotten as they made their way back to the TARDIS.

"What is?" asked the Doctor.

"We just stepped out of the TARDIS and a bloody alien _immediately_ ran past!" said Rose. "Things like that never used to happen to me, so it must be you. You attract danger. You make things happen." She pretended to be annoyed with him. "It's all _your _fault." The Doctor wagged a finger at her.

"Don't try to fool me Rose Tyler. You love every second!"

"Yeah, risking my life three times a day is absolutely fan_tast_ic," she teased. The Doctor suddenly stopped dead as the TARDIS came into view. "What is it?"

He walked up to his beloved ship and took out the key. But when she put it against the lock, the door swung gently open.

"Someone's inside."

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	2. The Strawberry Stowaway

**Notes: **Ahhh, the sweet sound of lovely reviews! I aime you all so much! Yes, yes, I know, sue me now…as Tundraeternal rightly pointed out, Stella got into the TARDIS far too easily. But I do have a weak defence: I needed her in the TARDIS. That's all I'm gonna say. Thanks so much for your interest! Why is everyone so surprised that she's not a Mary-Sue? I thought they were bad…do you have such a low opinion of me my friends? Anyway…Without further ado…Chapter 2! Wow! I'm a poet and I didn't even realise it!

Partial credit for the first part goes to Tundraeternal! I've gone for incredibly angry with a hint of insanity, OK? Hope you like those well thought over reactions!

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Stella was on edge the moment the door opened. She looked around wildly for someplace to hide, but she was quite nervous about exploring the…place further. She didn't know what it was, and she definitely didn't like it. So she was almost relieved to see the couple who had ploughed into her earlier. She considered smiling at them…

…then she saw the guy's face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" yelled the guy. Stella wished she'd found a place to hide.

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't realise it belonged to you…" She cleared her throat. "What is it anyway?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound as afraid as she felt.

"I don't think you're in quite the position to be asking questions at the moment," said the blonde girl who'd helped her up earlier. The Doctor listened to the change in her voice as she helped him take command with interest. She was so adaptable to this kind of thing. She'd taken her world blowing up andaliens onEarthin her stride. Now she was intimidating an intruder like a pro. He turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"I don't know how you got in here. I don't know who or _what _you are and I don't care. But if you don't leave, I will throw you out," said the Doctor in a fake calm voice. Somehow he managed to put venom in every syllable.

"Are you an alien too then?" asked Stella, surprising herself with both her words and the nonchalance in her voice. Silence hung in the air for a moment. But only a moment.

"Get…out…now!" yelled the Doctor, completely losing his temper. Rose grabbed his arm to stop him flying at the thoroughly petrified girl.

"Doctor, stop!" she said, clearly irritated by his outburst. She pulled him aside and lowered her voice so Stella couldn't make out her words. "That was completely unnecessary!"

"She broke into my ship! She had no right!"

"Yeah, I know! But she _saw _that alien!" Roe shot back. "She saw it and she was incredibly stupid, but she's also scared. Just tell her something to calm her down then let her go." The Doctor scowled.

"YOU say something if you're so bothered about the precious little darling," he muttered.

"My name is Rose Tyler; this is the Doctor," said Rose to Stella.

"Stella Brinley," said the girl quietly. "What _is _this place?" Rose glanced at the Doctor. He nodded, but didn't look happy.

"A space-time machine thing. We call it the TARDIS," explained Rose, trying to tell the girl what was going on without really telling her.

"Space-time?" Stella took a very deep breath. Rose noticed she had gone very pale, and felt slightly worried. "O-K…is…is that why it's…"

"Bigger on the inside? Guess it must be," said the Doctor through gritted teeth. "Now will you…_please_…leave?" Stella looked paler than ever.

"Well…" she said in a quiet voice. "Well if you don't mind…I think I'm going to faint now…" Moments later, she crashed to the floor and lay there, quiet still. The Doctor blinked.

"She took that surprisingly well."

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Stella was carried into a spare room to recover. The Doctor and Rose, meanwhile, made their way to the medical room, where the Doctor began bathing Rose's cut from earlier.

"Ow! That hurts!" complained Rose. "Be gentle!"

"I'm always gentle!" said the Doctor, looking offended.

"Says the guy who fixed the TARDIS with a hammer…and that hurts!" She knocked his hand away and pouted. The Doctor fell silent and folded up the wipe thoughtfully. Rose sighed. Now he was going to sulk. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Seriously though…I know you were just trying to help."

"It's fine," he insisted, taking her hand and tickling it softly. "See. Always gentle." Rose smiled.

"You know, after you left she seemed to come round for a while."

"Did she say anything?"

"Just rambling. She said she liked swimming, has six toes on her right foot and that her granddad called her 'Erdbeer'."

"What!"

"She said she was telling me stuff because I told her…stuff. She seemed a bit out of it though, and she passed out again straight after."

"No, not that…why 'Erdbeer'?" asked the Doctor, laughing. "Isn't that German for strawberry?"

"Oh I dunno…I thought it was the beer thing…you know, Stella Artois," said Rose, shrugging. She got up, feeling her cut experimentally.

"Here," said the Doctor, sticking a plaster over it. "It doesn't need stitches."

"OK. Shall I go and check on our little stowaway strawberry?" The Doctor grinned and she smiled back as she made her way towards the room where Stella had been unceremoniously dumped.

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Stella was awake before Rose even knocked on the door. She hadn't forgotten where she was and she didn't feel weak and pathetic, only rather cheated that it hadn't happened like it always did in books and on TV. People were _supposed _to feel that way after they'd fainted.

Instead, Stella thought about what would happen next. The TARDIS…what had frightened her before now filled her with a sense of excitement. She wondered if Rose Tyler and the mysterious Doctor had forgiven her enough to take her somewhere in their magical space-time thing. Her stomach gave a happy lurch as she wondered if they were _already there_.

So when Rose knocked, she sprang to the door and flung it open. Rose was confronted with an excited teenager with stars literally in her eyes.

"Where are we going?" asked Stella breathlessly. Rose laughed.

"_You _are going home, since there's nothing wrong with you," she said, smiling as she reached for the girl. Stella ducked under her arm and raced back to the control room, where the Doctor was lying under the control panel, pointing a weird stick at a dial.

"Take me with you!" exclaimed Stella. The Doctor scrutinised her carefully.

"Why?" he asked. He thought for a moment. "And _not _because you want to see the stars."

"Because I'm tired of being ordinary," she said, shrugging. The Doctor sighed.

"No, Stella."

"But…"

"Look, maybe if you were older…" The Doctor looked at her. "You're just a kid, strawberry girl. Forget it."

"You're leaving me on this crappy little planet because I'm too young?"

"You really think it's that bad here?"

"No…not exactly…it's just…"

"If you think it's bad here, then you are too young," said the Doctor firmly. "You don't have to see what I've seen and shouldn't. So I'm taking you to your house. I can manage it so you'll arrive home two minutes after we ran into you, that about right? Then you have to forget about us." At this point, Rose appeared unnoticed in the doorway.

Stella felt her hope being crushed beneath the Doctor's shoe. She folded her arms and did what ay other teenager would do: she sulked.

"I can walk home by myself, thank you," she said, folding her arms.

"That Portian is still out there."

"I can deal."

"You can't. Which is precisely why you're not coming with me and Rose. So, address?" he demanded, walking towards the controls.

"I can walk."

"Don't you want to feel it fly?" said Rose suddenly.

"Yeah, You'll be thrown all over the place. It's lots of fun! Address?" said the Doctor impatiently. Stella glanced at Rose, who did and said nothing. Just stared her in the face.

"4, Regent Close."

"Good girl," said the Doctor approvingly, typing something on a keypad and wildly throwing levers around and pressing buttons. "Rose, press that big green button over there will you? That's the one." Stella got the distinct feeling that she should be holding onto something, but Rose had already pressed it. The TARDIS leapt into life, whirring and shaking and generally throwing it's passengers around. Rose was proud to notice that for once, she did not land on the floor immediately. It took a whole five seconds before Stella, then her, then finally the Doctor crashed to the ground.

As she desperately tried to cling to a pillar and somehow scramble upright again, there was a longing at the back of Stella's mind. She wanted to go with them. She suddenly realised she wanted it more than she'd wanted anything else in her whole life, even more than new rollerblades and to win the swimming finals next week. The Doctor and Rose instinctively knew what she was feeling, but knew it wasn't right to drag her along with them. She was too young, too innocent. Rose knew that if she'd witnessed the destruction caused by the Dalek at fourteen, it would have destroyed her. It almost had now.

However.

The TARDIS must have known how Stella was feeling as well, somehow.

And the TARDIS obliged.


	3. The Problem with Gold

**The Ordinary One Part Three**

**Notes: **I seem to still be in favour…which I guess is a good thing! Thank you to Tai for reviewing once, depressing me, but having the decency to apologise! I love ya Tai! Anyway, I've uh, DISCOVERED a reason why Stella got onto the TARDIS. I worked long and hard to find a suitable reason, and I actually looked in my SCIENCE TEXTBOOK to check it was VAGUELY FACTUAL. I hope that'll sort you lot out…crikey, you complain a lot in this section. Be satisfied! NOW!

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The TARDIS lurched wildly to the right. The Doctor exchanged a worried glance with Rose, then scrambled towards the control panel. Rose pulled herself up beside him.

"Bad news?" she asked instinctively as the TARDIS suddenly stopped dead. The Doctor nodded.

"According to the TARDIS, we're about 7000 years in the future."

"OK. Where?"

"A Gaal warehouse," said the Doctor grimly. "A whole planet used for storing stolen goods." He groaned. "They're guarded according to how much the goods inside are worth, so we have to be careful. That means you, Strawberry Girl." Stella laughed, getting to her feet. The Doctor rolled his eyes. Teenagers. They _never _listen.

"That was incredible!" she exclaimed, grinning like fury. She tried laughing again, then realised no one was laughing with her. "What's up?"

"Nothing," said the Doctor, too deep in thought to spare Stella's feelings. Rose glared at him, but he didn't notice.

"We didn't land right," she explained. "We're in a huge warehouse, 7000 years in the future." To the Doctor, she added, "But why are we here? Did we pick up another distress signal?"

"No, something's broken, something important," he said, bringing out the famous sonic screwdriver and sliding underneath the controls. Rose squatted down next to him. "Here." The Doctor handed her his leather jacket and she held it accordingly. Stella stood nearby, unsure of her place. Was she still an intruder now they were on an adventure? Stella smiled faintly. An adventure. She'd been reading too much Enid Blyton.

"Gold." The Doctor straightened up again. "We need gold."

"Why gold?" asked Rose, holding out his jacket to him.

"You…can wear that…if you like," muttered the Doctor. Stella was intrigued to see he looked ever so slightly pink. Rose slipped it on wordlessly. Still warm, and with that 'old leather' scent that she found oddly comforting. "Two of the TARDIS's most important mechanisms are gone. The wiring was made of gold," he said, resuming his business like tone. "Great metal, gold. It's not magnetic, fairly strong, conducts electricity incredibly well, easy to work with (if you have the right tools), and it doesn't react with anything. Well, nothing on the TARDIS anyway. The perfect metal."

"Valuable too," added Stella, thinking she ought to assert herself.

"Not in this day and age. They found a new element, called it blode. Much rarer and shinier. Gold was tossed onto the scrap heap," said the Doctor.

"Why weren't these important mechanisms wired with…'blode' then?" asked Rose.

"It's hell to melt down," answered the Doctor.

"OK. So now we can't go anywhere…unless we get some gold?" asked Stella. She shook her head. "Wait…why do we need gold again?"

"It shattered, all gone. Can't think why though," said the Doctor, looking puzzled.

"S'weird," said Rose. "How could gold just…shatter?" The Doctor shrugged.

"No idea. But if I find out it was you…" he said, pointing an accusing finger at Stella. Stella backed off, holding up her hands.

"Do I look like I know how to shatter gold?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. The Doctor glared at her.

"What's in the bag?" he asked roughly.

"Doctor!" Rose grabbed his arm.

"Nothing but my swimming gear, I swear," said Stella, looking a tad scared. The Doctor suddenly realised that he was intimidating a fourteen year old girl with a wet swimsuit. He dropped it and started bashing a keyboard. "OK, Gaals, Gaals…right. Luckily this warehouse isn't important, storing mainly textiles. That's good and bad."

"There won't be many guards storing textiles," Rose realised.

"Right, but that's also a bad thing because it means our only chance of getting gold is reaching the Mahzart," he replied, flashing up a picture on one of the screens. "He's the one in charge of this warehouse, Klideog the third. Nice looking chap, isn't he?" The picture showed a tall, mean looking creature with yellowish skins and very long, slender fingers. On each of these was a gold-coloured ring.

"He likes his bling," Rose commented.

"Lucky for us. Lets just hope it's real gold," said the Doctor. "If not, we're stuck."

"What exactly is broken?" asked Stella timidly.

"Guidance system. I can't land anywhere accurately," said the Doctor.

"Not so much change there then." Rose grinned at him mischievously.

"And all the protection is gone. All we had left was the lock, but _somebody _broke it," growled the Doctor. Stella looked away. "Anyway, I can fix that." He made his way over to the door and fumbled for the sonic screwdriver. He glanced at Rose, looking embarrassed. "Uh…in my jacket…" he muttered. Rose went a bit pink and took it off, throwing it to him. "Thanks." He started to fix the lock.

"What's that?" whispered Stella.

"Sonic screwdriver," said Rose. "It can do almost anything, open doors, reattach barded wire…"

"Right, that's done," said the Doctor, straightening up. "Let's get out there."

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Stella laced up her rollerblades as the Doctor and Rose began to explore what appeared to be a maze of boxes. Rose opened one and pulled out a lurid green dress. She held it against herself.

"What do you think?" she teased.

"Not your colour," said Stella, skating around them neatly.

"That's made of shedded reptile skin," the Doctor informed her, Rose hastily stuffed it back where it belonged. Stella lazily skated backwards in front of them as they walked on so she could face them. Something had occurred to her that she wanted to ask them about, but she wasn't quite sure how to word it. She scrutinised them carefully as the Doctor casually took Rose's hand. They _looked _like a couple, but the last thing she wanted was to offend them and end up stuck in a warehouse 7000 years in her future. She decided to ask anyway, having more mouth than sense.

"So is that why you two don't have kids?" she blurted out. They both stopped dead and dropped each others' hands. One word: speechless. Stella pressed on anyway. "Not…that you look old enough to have them or anything…I mean, Rose doesn't—" Stella paused and re-grouped. "But is it because of the danger? Like with me?"

"Me and Rose are…" The Doctor seemed unable to finish his sentence, so Rose finished it for him.

"…not a couple." Stella raised her eyebrow. They even finished each others' sentences. This was just too cute.

"Of course you're not," she said, not unpatronizingly. Rose glanced at the Doctor for a second, just thinking…if they were a couple. But just for a second. The Doctor looked incredibly flustered and annoyed at the same time, and was very relieved to detect a faint humming that meant machinery. He charged past Stella through the 'corridor' of boxes, round a corner and was pleased to find a computer.

"Fantastic," he said, grinning again, restored back to his natural colour. Rose and Stella joined him and he prised the back off the computer, which was attached to a rather heavy-duty looking door. "We can access the mainframe from here, get a blue print and find the control room. Then we can get our gold and take Trouble home." Stella raised her hands.

"I was just curious," she said defensively. She decided from the Doctor's scowl it was probably best if she skated elsewhere, and went off to explore another corridor.

"Not shy, is she?" Rose commented. "Do you need an access code?"

"Not the way I do things," said the Doctor, getting out the sonic screwdriver and fiddling with the back of the computer.

"Stupid question," said Rose, grinning. "You never play by the rules."

"I'm a rebel," agreed the Doctor happily. He faintly heard Stella calling his name and chose, unwisely, to ignore it. "We're in!" Next, he took out a small, handheld computer.

"How much junk can you keep in those pockets?" asked Rose incredulously. "That looks like a navigation computer from an expensive car."

"It's roughly the same thing. We can stick the blueprint on here, save my memory," he said as he attached the navi-PC to the computer. "It'll take a few minutes to download and then we're away!"

Suddenly, they both heard Stella yelling. "She's in trouble," said the Doctor, looking annoyed. "I _knew _this would happen. This is why I don't do domestic!"

"Wait a second," said Rose. "She didn't cry for help." They kept out of sight and watched Stella skate past, waving briefly, but picking up speed, closely followed by three Gals. "They're guards!" Rose whispered.

"That stupid girl distracted the guards!" said the Doctor, but he didn't look annoyed. He looked delighted. "Finally, a teenager who uses her BRAIN!"

"Excuse me, but I'm still 19," said Rose, pretending to look insulted. "I…_am _still 19, right?" The Doctor shrugged.

"We have to get going. Stella will probably go back to the TARDIS eventually, and we have to be ready with the gold when she does, otherwise she's unprotected," said the Doctor, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her into a run towards the control room. "And I don't fancy being slapped by another angry mother."

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Heeeeheee! big smiley face What do you think? Be gentle with me!

As a side note, how incredible was the last episode! THEY KISSED! IT WAS SO AWESOME! I hope David Tennant is good, otherwise I may growl a lot and send some angry emails. I watched the regeneration three times and I'm beginning to like him a little. I just can't believe my Doctor is dead!

To my reviewers: I really hope you're still here, sorry it's been a while since I updated. Hope you'll forgive me! Getting a bit more action-y now, bit of a rollerblade chase next time. Hoped all you shippers liked the not so subtle shipping. wink I know the whole children thing seemed pointless, and it was, but it was quite amusing at the time. I can totally see Stella doing something like that. That girl doesn't think. Wa-ay too impulsive! more winking puts on exceedingly good Dalek voice Review! Review! Review!

Because technically, if you don't review, you're stealing something from me without payment! even more winking And that may result in pollination.

Crawdie: Uhhh…don't you mean extermination?

No, Crawdie. No I don't. And that, folks, is all for today!


	4. Bound and Broken

**The Ordinary One Part Four**

**Notes: **No one seems to have noticed, thank goodness, but the correct spelling for my alien friends is GAALS. I incorrectly spelt it Gals a few times, purely because to start with, it was spelt that way. Before I realised what it meant, and how unscary it was.

**Tai**: OH MY GOODNESS! It was deleted? NOOO! I LOVED that fic! You'll have to write the last one anyway and send it to me because otherwise I WILL pollinate you! Thank you so much for your exceedingly kind review! I'm so happy to have your support. And you actually made me realise that Stella had taken on a character all by herself! Usually my OCs can seem drastically plain and like everyone else's, but I've suddenly realised that she's completely taken on her own life! She is all those things: crazy, impulsive, no sense of danger, can't take a hint…and as far as the Doctor and Rose are concerned, she's a shipper through and through! Subtlety has no meaning to such as I, I will continue to ship to the extreme! Thank you for letting me see my own character's hidden depths! (big smiles) I'm so glad you think she fits in and works with the story…let's hope this gets turned into an episode, right? Then I could play Stella!

Crawdie: You're getting a tad carried away.

And that matters…why?

Tai, you made my day when I was ill! You have successfully avoided pollination!

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Ever since she knew what Rollerworld was, Stella knew she wanted to skate. Rushing along on a set of in-line wheels was, for her, one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world, second only to thrashing someone at swimming or pinball. When she wasn't in school or doing school related activities (ie, homework), she spent most of her time at the pool or whizzing round the neighbourhood on her skates. Stella was proud to admit to being the most irritating neighbour in history (according to Mrs Bates), having countless times run over cats, smashed into and broken fences, and even once caused a mild traffic accident.

But skating was a little different with three angry looking aliens on her tail. Porky, Skinny and Growly, as she'd affectionately nicknamed them, showed no signs of getting tired or giving up.

"This calls for something a little more drastic," she muttered to herself, having no one else available to talk to. Growly growled, his slender tail whipping the air as he ran after her. Stella saw her chance as a sharp corner loomed up ahead in the maze of boxes. Somehow managing to keep her balance, Stella purposefully slammed into the corner, dislodging about ten of the boxes.

"Yes!" she yelled triumphantly as the boxes successfully blocked the Gaal's path. Looking back for a second, Stella saw Porky and Skinny ripping their way through the boxes, whilst Growly had somehow managed to get caught up in clothes the same lurid green that Rose had held up earlier. He slammed to the ground, landed heavily on his head, and lay still.

"One down," breathed Stella, her legs beginning to ache. She realised she couldn't keep up this pace much longer. It was getting harder to breathe, a stitch in her side making her feel as though her ribs were on fire. Nevertheless, she continued to skate, yelling out occasionally to keep Porky and Skinny chasing her, and not after the Doctor and Rose.

"I hope you guys appreciate what I'm doing," growled Stella, as she realised with a sinking feeling that she didn't know her way back to the TARDIS.

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"I can't believe she did that," said Rose. Her and the Doctor were travelling downwards: in a lift to be more precise, having discovered the control room was on the very bottom of the basement floors. The Doctor had mentioned something about them travelling below the ground outside. Roe tried not to shiver. Heights she could do, but depths…made her feel slightly claustrophobic. "I mean, she barely knows us, can't possibly care that much about us, yet she still puts her life in danger for us." The Doctor sighed.

"I know what you're trying to do by the way," he said. "You're trying to make Stella look good so I'll forget all about her breaking into my ship."

"Well, can you blame her?" Rose shot back. "She gets brushed past by a Portian, knocked over by us, then turns around to see a police box—"

"OK, OK, you've made your point Rose," said the Doctor. "I forgive her already."

"Well good."

"It's not my fault she has no concept of danger," he added as the lift door opened. Rose muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Hypocrite."

"So you're going to stop acting like a tyrannical fascist?" said Rose as they cautiously made their way out of the lift to find…you guessed it. More boxes.

"I'm not a fascist Rose, now shut up and follow me," replied the Doctor.

"Very funny," she said in a bored tone. "How come there are more boxes down here if this is the control room?"

"Guess they ran out of storage space upstairs," he said, shrugging.

"You're probably right. There're so many boxes up there—"

"Sssshh!" said the Doctor suddenly, placing a hand over her mouth. Rose resisted the urge to bite it hard; she could barely breathe. Still, it was an interesting position, and she didn't hate it. The Doctor pointed silently. They had walked out of the forest of boxes by now and had come to a small but gleaming room that Rose assumed was made out of blode. Surrounded by only two guards, Mahzart Klideog the Third was inspecting a shining piece of—_Yes! _thought Rose—gold jewellery. It looked suspiciously like something an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh would wear around their neck.

"The gold is of excellent quality," snarled Klideog. "You have done well Ponto." For the first time, Rose saw a small, weak looking Gaal crouched by Klideog's bare, and horrifically in need of a pedicure, feet.

"My thanks, Mahzart," hissed Ponto, rubbing his hands in glee.

"You may now leave my esteemed presence," growled Klideog, fixing Ponto with a cold glare. Rose raised an eyebrow. He had a serious ego problem.

"But Mahzart, what about my payment?" snivelled Ponto pathetically.

"As payment," drawled Klideog slowly. "You will be allowed to leave this warehousealive. Go. Immediately!" The Doctor pulled Rose out of sight as Ponto scurried past them into the lift. The Mahzart admired the gold necklace then placed it carefully to one side.

"What's the plan?" hissed Rose.

"We see, we take, we conquer," replied the Doctor cryptically.

"So what? We just run in there, grab the necklace, then run out again? That sounds stupid," she said doubtfully.

"We haven't got time for smart plans Rose," he pointed out. "Stella's only human, she's going to get tired. And once she does…she's sitting prey for the Gaals. I don't want to be held responsible for a fourteen year old's death." His eyes were stormy grey and troubled looking. Rose took his hand, stroking it gently with her thumb.

"Stella's a smart girl," she whispered. "Crazy, but smart." The Doctor looked at their entwined fingers, then hugged her.

"Let's do it," he said.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

She was alone.

Blood from her broken nose dripped onto her mum's pale blue fleece, staining it crimson. Her skates had been taken. She was tied up, in pain, and helpless.

Porky and Skinny had left her, having worked out that there was no where for her to go. They'd probably be with the Mahzart now.

She'd tripped. An untied shoelace, maybe a slight unevenness in the floor. Whatever the cause, she'd tripped, fallen on her face and been dragged away and bound by the Gaals.

Her head began to swim, the pain and bloodloss making her feel faint.

"Doctor!" she screamed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Durn durn DURN! Dramatic or what? What will become of our poor Stella now? Will the Doctor and Rose get the gold?

Crawdie: Will you cease and desist from asking stupid questions?

Does anyone even care? Find out next time in The Ordinary One!

REVIEW! REVIEW! I can see you looking at that button. Review I tell you, or be pollinated! And...whilst you're at it, add me to your Author Alert. And Favourite Stories. And Favourite Author. Tick all those pretty boxes, and make Eevee very happy!


	5. Jewels, Skates and Tears

**The Ordinary One Part Five**

**Notes: **OK…let's have a little recap. The TARDIS is old and broken and the Doctor, Rose and intruder girl Stella have landed in a Gaal warehouse for stolen goods 7000 odd years in the future. Rose and the Doctor are about to steal the gold necessary to fix the space-time ship thingy, whilst Stella tried to distract the guards, succeeded for a while, then tripped, broke her nose and got tied up. She's not having such a good time as she expected. The Doctor has no other plan other than to rush in and grab the gold, and no one except Porky and Skinny knows where Stella is. Quite a predicament. Even **I **don't know how they'll get out.

I'm not kidding. I really don't know.

Crawdie: So how do you intend to write the next part?

I'm going with the flow, dear Crawdford…going with the flow…

First, a little word to my reviewers. Thank you very much for all your interest and support throughout this fic.

**Morph: **Glad you like. Here I am, updating for you. Hope you read it!

**Shangri-la-gypsy: **Beautiful name by the way. How did you come up with it? Yay, I converted another one! The last time, it was in the Pokemon realm, and someone didn't like fics that weren't based on the game…Eevee strikes again! I keep getting people's interest…let's hope I can keep it, eh?

**Tear22: **I love you! I knew you'd come through for me! I'm so glad you like it…description rocks! Thanks so much my mystic chum, hope you enjoy the other chappies!

**Arysta: **Heck yeah, her poor parents! Let's hope they don't find out…although her mum might get suspicious about the amount of blood on her fleece! I'm glad you like Stella! I must say, I like her too as a character. My OCs don't always turn out so well…except when I'm writing comedy! They can end up very boring and same-old, same-old…so thanks for letting me know you like her! Oh yeah…boost her ego…thanks for reviewing! Again, beautiful name! How do you people come up with these?

**Scary miss mary: **Again, nice name. I know, I know, it was risky…I'm glad you think I've managed to get away with it, huh? (winks) Why is everyone so surprised she isn't a Mary Sue? I have SOME pride. Very little, but some. Ahhh, more praise for my little Strawberry. Thanks, miss mary!

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Stella awoke in a bloody haze, blinking sweat out of her eyes. She moaned.

"Awww, man…" she said dryly. "How long have I been stuck here?" She tried moving her arms, which were bound painfully behind her back. "Ow…right…rope…check…" She glanced at the blood on her fleece. "Nose bleed…check…" She squirmed uncomfortably, thanking her lucky stars that her feet weren't tied. Obviously Porky and Skinny hadn't banked on her escaping. Which she intended to do.

Stella almost laughed when she saw her prison. Those imbeciles, she thought. Like a cage made of boxes is gonna keep me in.

"Time to get up Stella," she mumbled to herself. She caught sight of her face in the polished metal floor. "Woah…that's very unattractive…" Her nose, mouth and chin were covered in blood, not all of which was dry. "That's some bleed," she noted.

Getting up is a lot harder when your hands are bound behind you. Trust me. It is. Stella was already feeling…well, not her best, and she had nothing to support her as she vainly tried to rock into at least a crouching position. Managing to do this at last, she stood up slowly, trying to avoid falling on her sore nose. Blood rushed to her head and she leant precariously against the boxes for a while until they stopped spinning.

"OK…let's break out of prison then…" said Stella, charging at the boxes.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"Doctor, we can't just grab it, we can't," hissed Rose urgently.

"We can and we will," replied the Doctor happily.

"Stop being such an idiot and think it through!" insisted Rose. "Even if we do get the gold, they'll chase us all the way back to the TARDIS, leaving no time for us to melt it down or find Stella."

"Do you think she'll need finding?" asked the Doctor worriedly. "I REALLY don't want to have to explain to her parents if we lose her 7000 years in the future. Just think what—"

"Will you just FOCUS for a moment, please!"

"Rose, listen," said the Doctor sighing. "If it makes you feel better, I do have a plan…sort of…" Rose sighed. "Look, it's very simple really…we just grab the gold and…" The Doctor looked at the shiny room for inspiration. Only one door. One way in, one way out. "And lock the door behind us," he finished, grinning. He took out the sonic screwdriver. "Now are you satisfied?"

"Definitely," said Rose. They simultaneously reached for each other's hands.

"You take the pretty necklace, and if needs be, I'll distract them. Then we seal the door and make like professional burglars." Rose glanced at him. He grinned again. "We escape."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"I have to escape," said Stella woozily. She'd managed to knock down enough boxes to scramble out, but it had dawned on her that she had no way of finding the TARDIS. "Wish I had a photogenic…photowhatsit…a good memory." She staggered through the boxes and looked around blearily. "Big blue box…I need to find a big blue…the boxes…boxes can help me." She kicked one of the boxes to lie in front of her feet and managed to stand on it, swaying. She could just see above the others… "There!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"NOW!" yelled the Doctor. The Mahzart looked up, shocked…then angry.

"Guards!" he yelled in his hideously reptile voice. His two bodyguards charged towards the Doctor, giving Rose the chance to swipe the necklace from under Klideog's flat, snakelike nose.

"Doctor!" she cried, as he punched one of the guards and pushed the other.

"OK, OK, I'm coming," he said They ran for the exit, only to find Porky and Skinny blocking it.

"Sorry boys, no time to chat," said Rose, neatly dodging around them. Stella had been right: they were imbeciles. They paused to think just long enough for the Doctor to slam the door in their faces, sealing it with one buzz of the sonic screwdriver.

"Yes!" he yelled triumphantly. "See you later Klideog," he said through the glass, as they ran victoriously for the lift.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"That was too easy," said Rose, a little breathlessly. "So what next? Back to the TARDIS?" The Doctor nodded.

"Let's just hope Stella meets us there," he said gravely.

"You don't really think she's in trouble do you?" asked Rose.

"I wouldn't put it past her," said the Doctor grimly. "Human females are all the same. Peril magnets." Rose punched him on the arm.

"I resent that," she said, looking more closely at the necklace in her hands. "It seems a shame to melt this down for the TARDIS to eat."

"Without it, we could land in a volcano," the Doctor reminded her.

"We could do that anyway," Rose shot back.

"Touché," mumbled the Doctor. "We won't need the jewels though," he said, pointing to the large emerald set into it and the various other precious stones surrounding it. "You fancy it?"

"Not the emerald," said Rose cautiously. "Those little rubies are nice…" The Doctor thought for a moment, then grinned as if nothing had been said. "We did it then. Fantastic, huh?" Rose smiled. The lift door opened and they strode out, hand in hand.

"This way," said the Doctor, taking a path through the boxes to their left. They walked on in silence until they heard, unmistakably, a Gaal growling and Stella screaming.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Growly had returned. And by the looks of things, he wasn't too happy with the way Stella had disposed of him. He had a small bump forming on his yellowish forehead.

"Rose?" tried Stella nervously. "Doctor? Anyone?" She also desperately tried to pull her wrists apart, hoping that the Gaals' ability to build prisons was also reflected in their ability to tie knots. Sadly, they seemed quite adept at the latter. Good enough to keep her defenceless.

Stella shook her head slightly. She may have no hands and possibly a broken nose, but she was far from defenceless. She'd broken into the TARDIS, hadn't she? Granted, it was also broken at the time…but she snapped the lock at least. She got into the same lucky fighting stance that had helped her before and kicked the already sore spot on Growly's forehead with all her might. The Gaal had no time to dodge the blow or counter it. Usually things ran away when he growled. That was how this worked. People didn't fight back, especially _girls._

He was still thinking this when he lost consciousness due to Stella for the second time that day. The Doctor and Rose arrived to her aid just in time to see her opponent well and truly floored. They gaped at her.

"How did you know that a Gaal's weak spot is it's forehead?" demanded the Doctor. Stella shrugged.

"Lucky guess?" she offered.

"Oh my God, your nose!" said Rose, thrusting the necklace at the Doctor and stepping closer to the teenager to inspect her injury. "What happened?"

Stella suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired. "I tripped and fell on my face. It was my fault…" Her eyes filled with tears, the stress of her time with these strange people finally breaking through. "They took my skates and tied me up." Rose turned her around gently and unpicked the tight knots binding her hands. Her wrists were cut and bruised from where she'd tried to pull free.

"Let's get you back to the TARDIS, OK?" asked Rose gently. "Then we can fix up your nose and wrists." Stella nodded dumbly, tears running down her cheeks.

"Nick gave me those skates," she said unhappily, stammering a little. "He ordered them for me, before he died. I got them two w-weeks later with a note saying 'Happy Un-B-birthday'." Rose made some comforting noises whilst the Doctor watched them, not sure quite what to say or do. Human emotions were incredibly fickle…he didn't understand them, and never hoped to. Finally, unable to bear feeling useless, he stuffed the necklace in his pocket and clapped his hands together like Santa.

"Right!" he said in a fake cheerful voice. "Back to the TARDIS for you, young Strawberry." Stella nodded again and allowed herself to be led back to the police box.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Bit of a sad note to end on…it won't be discussed again, so I thought you might like to know that Nick was Stella's older brother. They were pretty close.

Another big WHOO-HOO! To all of my amazing reviewers…I love EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

Crawdie: (singing) Let's take each other's hands, as we step into the final frontier!

That's right Crawdie, folks, the next chapter will be the last! I might add a little Epilogue to do the traditional 'five years later' jargon, but apart from that…we must wave goodbye to Stella soon! But Crawdie, why DID you sing the Mad About You theme tune?

Crawdie: I keep my affection in the closet.

Don't you mean the airing cupboard?

Crawdie: Haha, very funny Eevee.

I try…(big smiles)…see y'all next time!

Crawdie: Darn straight!


	6. The Hardest Part is Saying Goodbye

**The Ordinary One Part Six**

**Notes: **Time to say goodbye to the Strawberry Stowaway! Awww, I'm quite sad to see her go! I am now planning an Epilogue, which should give the story another little twist and maybe…well, I'm not going to say top much about that. Just that I'm a sucker for sequels.

Crawdie: Hell yeah. She takes any excuse to turn something into a series.

A note to my oh-so kind reviewers:

**Melbo18: **My first ack! Man I love that word. Hope you enjoy this chappie.

**Shangri-la-gypsy: **Really? Hmmm. Never heard that one. Lol, huge and dangerous. I could give it a try. Like I said, I'm a sucker for sequels. I'm definitely bringing Jack in though, purely for the fun of sparking off some StellaJack shipping! I know you've all been thinking it, don't deny it! Thanks for your continued support. Makes me feel all smiley!

**Tear22: **Ahhh, my lovely Tear. I'm so glad you like Stella. You understand one of my fics? Man, I thought that was nigh on impossible! But I bet my briefing helped, right? Just think of the good Doctor and Rose as a real life Jessie and James, and you'll understand everything I write! Thanks for being so nice!

**YamiKITG: **Interesting name you got there…explain it to me! Yeah, I think the chapters probably get better as they go on, purely because this was my first fic and I'm just starting to get into all this writing for the Doctor and Rose…they're hard characters to cope with for me because they're not cartoons. When I write for the Pokemon characters it's very easy because you don't have to explain where the mallet came from or how they got down from there or how someone's hair grew back, etc etc. You know the kind of thing.

**Morph: **Yay, she's won some sympathy! Thanks for your praise, I intend to keep this going, don't worry! Oooops…spilled the beans there, didn't I?

**Tai: **Lol, I know, I've been at home feeling ill so I've had plenty of time for writing. Yes, the end is nigh. I love that word, nigh. Nigh, nigh, nigh! I've really kept them in character? Yay! I was so worried I hadn't! More praise for my Stella…I feel like she's almost real! She's the kind of friend I would have, that's for sure. I don't want to leave her behind or change her…which is going to make this chapter and the Epilogue so much harder! Send me that synopsis! I wouldn't post it again, you might get banned from posting fics or something. They're really cracking down on stuff like that since they changed the Log-In junk.

**Jessie Wings: **Heh, heh…no romance…right…Well, there isn't much in this chapter, so I hope you like it! I should technically be doing Chem homework, but what's new? Nice and funny. The best words you could have used. That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Thanks for reviewing! I checked out your bio…you should check out my other stories! I love comedy too. This is a new territory for me because humour is what I do best and will always do best. Check out my fics. I can guarantee they'll make you at least chortle.

And now, gentle readers, take my hand. That's right. Pretend I'm wearing a leather jacket and fake ears. Now, the last chapter! You too Crawdie, come on! Let's go!

……………………………………………………………………………………………

This room was a hospital room. You could tell. Everything was white or yellow or orange…'happy', 'cheerful' colours. It had that sort of apple-pie smelling disinfectant that Stella remembered all too well. But she'd never seen tools like _that _in a hospital before.

"Are you sure you can't just…put a bandage on or something?" she asked nervously as the Doctor advanced with something that looked like a bulldog clip.

"Stella, you _broke _your nose, not bumped it," said the Doctor irritably. "Now do you want it fixed or not? Because I'm quite happy to leave you looking like a rugby player." Stella gasped and her hand flew to her swollen nose.

"I do NOT look like a rugby player, you cruel…THING, you!" she said angrily.

"Fine. I won't fix it then," said the Doctor, preparing to leave.

"I didn't say…oh just fix it will you?" she sighed.

"Magic word?"

"Oh stop teasing her," said Rose from a corner, folding up her magazine. "Fix her bloody nose already."

"This won't hurt much," said the Doctor, in the voice we all know really means "Actually, it will hurt but I don't want to have to call security." He clipped the device over her nose.

"Liar!" said Stella, trying to tug it off. "What the heck is it doing?"

"Just shut up and let it heal you," said the Doctor, grabbing her hand to stop her pulling.

"But it HURTS!" roared Stella. "Aren't you supposed to knock me out first!"

"Would you be quieter that way?"

"Doctor," said Rose warningly, rolling up her magazine and slapping it against her palm. The Doctor released Stella's fist and put up his hands.

"OK, OK, I'm going," he said. "No gratitude, some people. Leave it on for three minutes then check if it's healed. I'm going to fix the TARDIS." As he reached the door he couldn't help but give one last remark. "At least she's quiet." He dodged the magazine flying his way and ran down the corridor, the gold necklace clinking in his pocket.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

He set to work quite happily, using the bountiful tools and great big furnace on the TARDIS to melt down the gold necklace, taking special care to save the jewel encrusted part. Playing with fire. Man's simplest pleasure.

"I'm so clever," he boasted smugly. "They don't have a clue."

Gold wire wasn't the only thing he made.

Then it was back to the control room. He lifted a panel of the TARDIS easily, sliding underneath to repair the broken systems.

All in all, it took under an hour.

"Good girl," he said affectionately, stroking the replaced panel. "That feels much better doesn't it?" He rubbed his hands together. "Oh, I am SO clever," he said gleefully as he logged onto the Internet.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Stella touched her nose with one hand as Rose cleaned her wrist. She gazed into the mirror. The swelling and blood had gone, and her nose was as straight and freckled as it always had been.

"That's incredible!" she said. "It looks exactly the same as it used to!"

"He may be a pompous git sometimes, but he's good," agreed Rose. "Other hand." Stella looked at her left wrist whilst Rose cleaned up her right. Completely healed.

"I could use some of those wipes," she said. "This place has everything!"

"Better than Earth pharmacies," said Rose. "Done." Stella's face fell.

"I was hoping it would take longer…what about my fleece? It was covered in blood," Stella said suddenly, looking down at her 'Little Miss Naughty' top. Rose grabbed something from a plastic bag.

"Good as new!" she said, chucking Stella her fleece. It was spotlessly clean and smelled…well, like the TARDIS. She bit her lip.

"Is this it then?" she asked, cuddling the blue fluffy material. Rose tried to smile.

"Come on Stella, you must understand now why we can't take you," she said in a motherly voice. The younger girl nodded dejectedly and didn't try to argue.

"It's been fun," she said, giving Rose a weak smile. "Thanks for having me." There as a knock on the door before the Doctor burst in, grinning all over his face.

"I re-wired the system. We're good to go!" he said, looking ridiculously happy. Stella wondered, like all teenagers do, if he was happy because she was leaving, then wiped it from her mind. Of course that wasn't it. He was happy because his beloved ship was working again, and that meant he was free. He loved freedom more than…more than _Americans_, thought Stella as he hugged Rose. So she was happy for him.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The TARDIS whirred into existence on the corner of Regent Close. Mrs Bates curtains twitched as she looked out to see the source of the noise. All she could see from her window, however, was that awful Brinley girl talking to someone just out of sight. Thank God she wasn't wearing those horrid skates, but a battered pair of trainers that looked two sizes too big for her.

"Thanks for the…uh…interesting footwear Rose," said Stella. Rose laughed and hugged her.

"I'll be in touch. I promise!" she said. She nudged the Doctor. "You can get her email for me, right?" The Doctor blinked. He hadn't been paying attention. He wasn't good at goodbyes.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," said Rose, rolling her eyes. Stella waved and began the walk to her house.

"Bye Doctor!" she yelled, to the intense irritation of Mrs Bates.

"Bye Strawberry!" he replied. Stella watched the door close.

"See you in my dreams," whispered the girl. She felt the strong breeze on her face and newly healed nose as the TARDIS faded away.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"Where to now then?" asked the Doctor, running to the control panel. Rose shrugged.

"Somewhere quiet," she said.

"Your wish is my command," he replied, bowing. He pulled the relevant levers and pressed the relevant buttons. "Lucrita, the first millennium," he announced. "An unspoilt paradise."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said as they walked out into the glow of the evening suns, of which there were three. They had landed on a hilltop, above a valley. A strangely pink river flowed below them. In the distance, Rose could see a small village.

"It looks like England," she noted.

"Sorry," said the Doctor hastily. Rose shook her head.

"I like England. I lived there, didn't I?" The Doctor looked strangely uneasy and nervous. "What's wrong? We're not about to get attacked are we?"

"Of course not!" said the Doctor. "When has that ever happened?" Rose didn't bother answering. He fumbled in his pockets and brought out a ring. A gold ring. A gold ring set with a lot of tiny rubies. Rose gasped as he presented it to her.

"Did you…_make _this?" she said, gazing at it.

"Hey, don't act so surprised!" he said, looking offended. "I'm full of hidden talents, me."

"Yeah, but most of them are blowing things up then fixing them," she teased.

"I can have it back if you don't like it," said the Doctor uncomfortably, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"No way!" said Rose firmly, quickly putting it on her finger. "This is mine." She paused, not quite sure what to say next. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

"The best for the best," he replied, reminding Rose of the time he'd kicked Adam out of the ship. She hugged him then kissed his cheek as the three suns sank below the horizon.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

They never found out how the gold had shattered in the first place. Outloud, the Doctor suggested it could have been the Portian.

"Portians are trouble makers, Rose," he'd said. "It's the kind of thing they'd do." Rose just laughed and took his hand, and pointed out all of his trouble-making moments.

Secretly, he wondered if it had been the TARDIS. It was the kind of thing she'd do as well. Breaking into Stella's mind, learning that she wanted to stay, and helping her to do just that.

But for once, he was happy not knowing for sure.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

It was two weeks since the TARDIS had dematerialised.

Stella had noticed that life around her had gone on exactly as it always had. School, homework, swimming. No skating though. She'd told her parents that they'd been stolen from her locker, knowing full well that they couldn't afford to buy her new ones.

She felt strange. Stuck in a time zone that went slower than everything else around her. Slow motion. It was the same-old, same-old, all the time, every day. Real life was dull and boring. Life with them was danger and excitement.

One step forwards, two steps backwards. The Stella Brinley dance. One that she'd been dancing alone since they'd gone.

A package had arrived for her that morning from an Internet shop. Attached to it was a note from him. 'Happy Un-Birthday, Strawberry Girl. The Doctor.'

New skates. Ten times better than hers. That made her happy.

The note just made her sad.

Life kept going the same as it always had. And later rather than sooner, Stella Brinley was finally ready to move on.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Sort of bitter sweet, right? Well, that's the last full chapter…but hang around for the Epilogue, because this is not the end of Stella! It would have been but…she begged so hard that I couldn't help it! Hope you enjoyed it.

(puts on Dalek voice again)

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Crawdie: I think the Daleks are quite insecure, you know. They have to repeat things to feel powerful and good about themselves. They need therapy.

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW, TINY HUMANS, OR BE POLLINATED!

Crawdie: I think I know someone else who needs therapy.


	7. The Best Part is Coming Back

**The Ordinary One Epilogue**

**Notes: **Well…(sniff)…here it is…(sniff)…the final part of my beloved fic! Who else is going to miss 14 year old Stella? Put up your hands…now!

(a light breeze blows across the study)

(tumbleweed blows across the screen)

(Eevee is the only one with her hand up)

Crawdie, you're so mean! You could've put your hand up too!

Crawdie: That would've been a senseless waste of energy though!

Git.

A final note to my reviewers (sniff):

**Morph: **You'll be glad to know you've avoided pollination! Heh, heh, sorry about the 'tiny' thing. I got carried away. Thank you for being so supportive of my fic. I aim to please…I guess I've done well. Yeah, I know, I thought maybe he should do some nice stuff since he's been pretty mean all through my story. You're number one Morph! Be happy! AND THANK YOU SO MUCH for visiting my site! That really made my day! I'm glad you liked the pretty-ness…don't worry, soon there'll be some Doctor Who stuff on there, as well as YAHOO! Little Shop of Horrors! I'll be updating it in the summer hols, so keep visiting!

**Shangri-la-gypsy: **OK, I get the name now! Nice idea, I like it! If you have any more, or if anyone has any ideas for a sequel, they'd be greatly appreciated…because this isn't the end of Stella!

**Jessie Wings: **I've decided to try and keep it basically DoctorRose free…I say nothing of what Jack might be getting up to. Ahhh, it was a good ending, but I couldn't leave her like that! Nice and funny may become a catchphrase…I'm so glad you like my Dalek voice. (clears throat) REVIEW! REVIEW! I still got it!

Well…this is it…the end of my fic…my debut in the Doctor Who realm…Thank you so much for everyone who has taken the time to review this fic. I was so nervous about writing Doctor Who fanfiction, but you guys made me feel really welcome.

And Tear, you are the greatest of all. Why? Because, ladies and gents, Tear has never even watched Doctor Who. She's here to support me. You're a great friend.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Ironically, Stella had been listening to 'I Will Survive' when they came back for her. Ironic because she'd just got to the lines 'and now you're back, from outer space, I just walked in to find you here with that same look upon your face.' Ironic because she'd danced into her living room with a muffin in her hand when she heard the engine. She dropped the muffin.

The TARDIS had just materialised in her living room.

She switched off the radio and stood in front of the door as it opened. There they were, grinning like idiots. With party poppers.

Stella found herself covered in coloured streamers. "Surprise!" yelled the Doctor, Rose, and a third person she didn't recognise.

"Oh my GOODNESS!" she screamed, hugging Rose. "This is so sublime! You came back for me!" The Doctor and his new friend stepped out of the TARDIS.

"Hi Stella," said the Doctor nonchalantly. "Get the skates?" She nodded, trying not to scream with delight.

"The best Un-Birthday present I've ever got!" she said, hugging him as well. The Doctor looked very surprised. "So…who's your friend?" she asked, eyeing the dark haired stranger in her living room. The Doctor and Rose gave each other knowing glances.

"Captain Jack Harkness," said the American, flashing her a smile and visibly checking her out. Stella took his outstretched hand and shook it.

"Stella Brinley," she said, enjoying the attention.

"Do I get a hug?" he enquired.

"We'll see," said Stella, smiling. "So where did you pick this one up Rose?"

"Oh I dunno…I was hanging from a barrage balloon and his invisible spaceship picked me out of the air," sad Rose, shrugging like it was nothing.

"Same-old, same-old," said Jack.

"Sounds terribly boring," said Stella, trying to act serious.

"Oh it was," agreed Rose. "Especially dancing with the Doctor afterwards!"

"What, you or Jack?" asked Stella wickedly.

"You may never know," said Jack mysteriously.

In the midst of the chaos caused by their reunion, the Doctor regarded this girl, the one he'd left as a fourteen year old and rejoined at 19. She'd changed, no doubt about it. Her hair was longer, straighter. He was amused to see she'd dyed it black in an attempt to look more sophisticated. Her face looked older and less freckled. She looked, for all the world, like a dignified young woman. But the childish delight in her eyes and voice told the real story.

"Right then, I'll give you ten minutes to pack then we'll be away!" said the Doctor. "Rose can help you." Rose thumped him.

"Hey! What am I, hired help?" she grumbled.

"Not nearly obedient enough," he replied, scruffing up her hair because he knew she hated it. She whacked him again. Jack rolled his eyes.

"I don't need ten minutes," aid Stella, grinning mischievously. She dashed into her bedroom and grabbed her skates, slinging an already packed bag over her shoulders.

"You knew we were coming?" said the Doctor, puzzled. Stella grinned.

"Rose is nineteen, so yeah, I had a hunch that it would be around now," she said, winking. "You're so predictable."

"I am NOT predictable…"

"Off we go!" interrupted Rose, to prevent the ensuing argument.

"Through Time and Space!" they all yelled, doing some kind of corny high-fiving. Stella couldn't help laughing.

"You guys haven't changed a bit!"

……………………………………………………………………………………………

And voila! We're done!

Make sure you review, y'all!

Both: (putting on Dalek voices) REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW OR BE POLLINATED!


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